R O B I N  E L I S E  M A A Y A

Newsha Tavakolian was born in 1981 and is an Iranian photojournalist and documentary photographer. She has been featured in multiple reputable magazines such as Time, New York Times, and National Geographic. Her most famous work is her photo series focusing on women’s issues. At age 16, Newsha took a six-month photography course and after this immediately started working as a professional photographer for the Iranian press. In 2014, she won a 50,000 euro photojournalism prize to capture her own vision of Iran. Newsha is an inspiration to me and my work because much like the women on this list, she was a breakthrough in the world of photography.